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Sweden’s Anton Karlsson joked on Saturday that he was going to claim a come-from-behind victory at the RAM Cape Town Open and did just that on Sunday, winning it by one stroke over Garrick Higgo on 14-under-par 274 at Royal Cape.

He was three shots off the pace set by Daniel van Tonder at the start of the final round and a bogey on the first hole threatened to set him back even further. Another bogey, on the fourth, followed before he could make any gains. He brought it back to level-par with birdies on the seventh and ninth holes to give himself an opportunity at a win.

“It was tough out there and I wasn’t really in the best spots in those first few holes,” he said. “The wind was the worst I’ve seen in a long time. But I spoke to my caddie and I said it was going to be a tough day for everyone.”

He took to the back nine with some flair, however, birdieing the next four holes one after the other to make it six birdies in seven holes and get it to 15-under par. A disappointing bogey on the 15^th took from those gains and with Garrick Higgo sitting in the clubhouse at 13-under, Karlsson knew he could not afford to falter again. He kept it steady from there, making four straight pars highlighted by an impressive save on the last hole to finish at 14-under.

“To win here feels so good,” he admits, “for the first time, I was not really sure what score I was on for the day. I knew I was on top of the leaderboard but I couldn’t tell by how many shots I was leading and I saw Higgo finished well at 13-under so I had to play solid golf. It was pretty brutal out there but I’m very happy to have pulled it together like that. It’s always important to get the season off to a good start because you can really get going after that.”

A third successive five-under 67 proved not enough to get Higgo into a playoff and give him an opportunity to make it two wins in his rookie season on the Sunshine Tour.

Daniel van Tonder’s fine form continued in round three of the RAM Cape Town Open where he shot an eventful three-under-par 69 to total 14-under and take a two-stroke lead into the final round at Royal Cape Golf Club.

He went birdie, bogey and birdie on his opening three holes, then, three pars later, made another birdie on the par-five seventh. That was soon threatened by the bogey he made on the ninth. Back-to-back birdies on the 11^th and 12^th then made their way onto his card before another bogey came, this time on the 15^th hole. That bogey was immediately followed by a birdie on 16 which sealed a three-under-par round.

“It wasn’t too tough out there,” said Van Tonder whose confidence seems to reflect his current form. “There were a few tough pins out there. I managed to shoot under par but I did find myself in some danger a few times. But I made a couple of birdies as well, so, that helped.”

The three bogeys he made on day three were the first he has made in 54 holes, a sign of a man who is high on confidence.

“I can’t say I’ve left a few out there,” he admits, “I missed one short putt on one of the par-fives.”

Lurking dangerously following a stunning round of eight-under-par 64 which took his total to 12-under for the week, is Luke Jerling. Seven birdies, an eagle and a single bogey characterised his third round as he got himself in the mix ahead of the final round of this event which is co-sanctioned with the European Challenge Tour.

“I love this golf course,” said Jerling who is still looking for his breakthrough win on Tour. “It reminds me a little bit of my home course, PE Golf Club. A little bit of a breeze, greens running pure and I had a great day. Last week I struggled a lot with my ball-striking and I wasn’t happy with my game but I talked to my coach and sorted a few swings. Started working on the range for a few days and started hitting a few shots with the middle of the clubface, then you realise you haven’t really lost it. This course suits me.”

Third on the leaderboard and a shot behind Jerling lies Sweden’s Anton Karlsson on 11-under par after he shot a 64 of his own to make moving day count. He is followed by JC Ritchie at 10-under while Wilco Nienaber, Toby Tree Daniel Young, Damien Perrier, and Harry Ellis share the fifth spot on nine-under for the week.

Another bogey-free round – a 67 this time – saw Daniel van Tonder keep his place atop the leaderboard on a total of 11-under-par after 36 holes in the RAM Cape Town Open while taking a -one-shot lead into the third round which will be played at Royal Cape Golf Club.

In what was a similar start to his opening round, Van Tonder had to make do with three consecutive pars before making his first birdie of the day at Royal Cape. Then, he found joy, birdieing the par-three fourth. Two more birdies – this time on the sixth and seventh holes – got onto his card and another on the ninth to turn in 32.

Coming home, Van Tonder didn’t make any more birdies until the one he picked up on the 17^th to sign for another untainted round of golf in Cape Town.

“We made it easy out there,” says the man who sits third on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, “We tried to hit fairways today but missed a few. But we recovered from there and hit the greens and made a few putts, so I’m happy.”

While there was some wind at the start of the round, it was nothing like yesterday’s and Van Tonder was happy to take advantage.

“Yesterday was a bit of a mission out there with that wind,” he admitted, “but, today was one-club wind for me so it wasn’t as bad but you still need to hit the good shots and really strike the ball. Otherwise, the wind will play with you ball in the air. But I enjoy it out here, maybe I just like bad weather.

“Both courses play similar but I just think the greens at Royal Cape roll a little bit faster. But, from tee to green, I am playing solidly and if I get myself in the bush, I can recover. Just give me a swing and I’ll make a plan to get out of there somehow.”

Hot on Van Tonder’s heels is Italy’s Aron Zemmer, who carded a perfect seven-under 65 which catapulted him to second after two rounds of golf. He made his gains on the second, seventh, ninth, 11^th, 12^th, 14^th and 17^th holes. A further two strokes from Van Tonder’s lead is Mitch Waite of England who is followed by compatriot Toby Tree who shares the fourth spot with JC Ritchie on a tournament total of eight-under-par.

Daniel van Tonder carded a bogey-free six-under-par 66 in the opening round of this year’s edition of the RAM Cape Town Open co-sanctioned with the European Challenge Tour and hosted at Royal Cape and King David Mowbray Golf Club.

Van Tonder had to wait four holes before making his first birdie of the day on the King David Mowbray golf course and would not make any more birdies on that front nine as he turned in 35. He turned things up on the homeward stretch, making back-to-back birdies on the 10^th and 11^th before a par on the 12^th threatened to slow him down.

He shrugged that off expertly, bouncing back with a birdie on 13 before making a game-changing eagle in the next hole. He kept things steady from there on, making pars in the last four holes to sign for a blemish-free 66.

“The wind was blowing hard hey,” he said, describing the conditions most of the morning field had to contend with on day one. “It was gusting and stuff. Sometimes on 110 yards, I was hitting a 6 iron. Hitting it low and hard and trying to keep it nicely in play. It was tough.

“It is very difficult to commit to a club when the wind is like that. Most of the time here the wind is in off the right and sometimes you have to aim 40 metres right of the green and trust the wind to bring it back. But it was fun.

“Overall, I’m happy with my score. It felt easier, I don’t know why, maybe because I was listening to my wife who’s on the bag. It felt easy.”

Lurking closely just a shot off Van Tonder’s pace is England’s Toby Tree whose familiarity with the courses and grasses in South Africa must be attributed to the couple of years he spent here as a Sunshine Tour member. He carded a five-under 67 opening round on the King David Mowbray Golf Club track.

His round was characterised by an eagle, four birdies and a single dropped shot in windy conditions in Pinelands. Lying two strokes behind Van Tonder and in a share of third in JC Ritchie and France’s Damien Perrier who both signed for 68s.

Italy’s Aron Zemmer and the English pair of Mitch Waite and Harry Ellis share the fifth spot on three-under-par while Belgium’s Christopher Mivis, Martin Simonsen and Nicolai Kristensen of Denmark and Jean Hugo are among the 11 players who share eighth on two-under-par after the first round in Cape Town.

Exciting rookie Wilco Nienaber says having enjoyed success as an amateur in the windy Cape, he is more than ready to get going at this year’s RAM Cape Town Open co-sanctioned with the Challenge Tour.

The tournament gets underway on Thursday and Nienaber returns to the Cape after some solid first few events as a pro. He was set for a top 10 finish at the Eye of Africa PGA Championship in Eikenhof three weeks ago but forgot to sign his scorecard, an error which got him disqualified. Then, two weeks later, he finished second in the Limpopo Championship, the first of three events the Sunshine Tour is co-sanctioning with the Challenge Tour this year.

“I’d like to take that momentum into this week,” says Nienaber from Royal Cape Golf Club, one of the two venues that are set to host this mega showdown, the other venue being King David Mowbray Golf Club. “I played good golf at Eye of Africa, played good golf last week. So, I am looking forward to this week because I’ve had quite a bit of success down here in my amateur events.”

While he has not won an event as a professional just yet, his length off the tee has had pundits and fans talking and to some extent, has left some even worried that he might be a little bit too aggressive on the ball. A tag which does little to bother him.

“Because I hit the driver pretty long, I guess some people will see me as an aggressive player,” he notes, “I think I am an aggressive player because I know that is my strongest point. But, it doesn’t bother me because coming to the Cape is the same game for me, you still  have to hit the fairways, still have to hit the greens even in the wind, it is just a little bit trickier to do it.”

Like many golfers who have come down to Cape Town this week, Nienaber says he enjoys playing in this region despite the frequent and gusting winds which the area is associated with.

“I don’t know,” he says when asked about what it is that players enjoy the most about coming down to the Mother City, “You see the Table Mountain while playing, it’s relaxed, the people in Cape Town tend to come out and watch us play, so there’s no one specific thing you can say you enjoy. It’s just a great experience to come down here.

“This week is a bit different to last week because last week it was bushveld and it was pretty wide,” he says when explaining what it takes to play well here. “Here, it’s tree-lined and you’ve got to hit good shots to have an opening for your second shot and to be able to hit the greens on the right spots, you have to hit the fairways, that’s just it.”

Defending champion of the RAM Cape Town Open, Benjamin Follett-Smith of Zimbabwe says while he aims to defend his title this week in Cape Town, he has few expectations this year following a rather difficult spell on Tour since his win here.

He has made the cut five times in 19 starts this season and admits he’s struggled while also pointing out what the courses for such struggles may have been.

“Very few expectations this week,” he says ahead of this year’s edition which is co-sanctioned with the Challenge Tour. “I’ve learnt my lesson last year. I struggled this year because my expectations got too high. Now, I’m just trying to maintain composure; hit fairways, hit greens and just make sure I do the basics right. If you get the basics right, you should be able to give yourself chances.”

He admits, however, that all is not lost for him because regardless of the undesirable results he’s gotten this season so far, he is still learning about the game and about himself as well.

“It’s a learning curve,” he notes, “because this year, I’ve missed more cuts that I have done in my whole career. It’s just learning how to get back up bigger and stronger. I’ve taken five steps back but I’m trying to take them forward now.”

A fierce competitor of his calibre is not to be distracted by a series of unwanted results, however, and in all his struggles, Follett-Smith has had some positives to draw on and the eighth-place finish he and his compatriot Stephen Ferreira got in the team championship a fortnight ago, is one such positive.

“At team champs, I hit the ball really well,” he says, “and it was easier because I had Stephen backing me up. But I did hit it well and that showed me that when I am confident, I can pull through. Obviously, with a few mishaps and not playing well, the confidence will go down but coming to a place where I have succeeded, seeing the positives, seeing what I did and what I can do, is helping the confidence. So, I feel good and I feel like I can compete again.”

No matter his current form and the struggles with which he has had to deal with on the golf course, Follett-Smith is ready for everything this great championship has to throw at him.

“I hope the wind picks up,” he says with a smile, “I really like it here when it gets windy. It just makes things a little bit more interesting.”

The Sunshine Tour is in the Mother City this week for the eighth edition of the RAM Cape Town Open. This year’s event is for the first time co-sanctioned with the Challenge Tour, making it bigger and better while marking the first co-sanctioned event to hit the Cape.

The format:

The competition will be decided over 72 holes of stroke-play. The first two rounds will be played at both courses of Royal Cape and King David Mowbray Golf Clubs, with each competitor playing a round at each course. After 36 holes there will be a cut to the leading 60 professionals and those who tie on the score.

The final two rounds will be played at Royal Cape Golf Club. In the event that the cut qualifies more than 78 players, there will be an additional cut after 54 holes to the leading 72 professionals and those who tie on the score. The final decision regarding the number of players for a 3rd round cut will be made by the Tournament Directors.

The field:

204 professionals

Defending champion:

Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith is the defending champion, having earned his maiden Sunshine Tour title via a two-stroke victory over Cape Town’s Jean-Paul Strydom and Zander Lombard on a 13-under-par 275 total.

The course:

Royal Cape Golf Club:

The Royal Cape Golf Club was established in 1885 which makes it South Africa’s oldest golf club. It is in the shadow of Table Mountain and is subject to three of nature’s beguiling offerings: a near-constant wind to challenge, sweeping mountain views to charm and water features to ensnare.  The par-72 course which is 6,121 metres in length was designed by Charles Murray and its fairway grass is Kikuyu, while the greens are made of Bent grass. There are plenty of challenging bunkers.

It is a course has hosted the SA Open 10 times, as well as many other professional and top amateur events. Winners at Royal Cape include Gary Player, Ernie Els, Mark McNulty and Trevor Immelman.

Tree-lined with narrow fairways and subtle greens, Royal presents a traditional test of golf, although the numerous ponds and lakes teeming with birdlife provide beauty and distraction along the way.

King David Mowbray Golf Club:

Set in a very central area – about 15 minutes from the V&A Waterfront and Cape Town International Airport – King David Mowbray is a parkland course, which provides an excellent test of golf. The terrain is flat, but plenty of trees and water features make for an interesting experience, with the beauty of the mountain and abundant wildlife dominating the scenery.

A significant feature of any coastal course is, of course, the wind. This is where King David Mowbray is unique, in that the holes have been so laid out that you will seldom find yourself with the wind directly in your face or right at your back. Also, believe it or not, the wind in Pinelands is seldom as severe as in other parts of the peninsula.

Both fairways and greens remain soft throughout the year. The fairways consist predominantly of Kikuyu grass while the greens are paspalum which provides an excellent putting surface. Experiments with pure bentgrass have not been successful, so the indigenous grass family variety is now being “managed”, with more than satisfactory results.

While the course is not particularly long, the golfer will find King David Mowbray a real challenge. It is generally accepted that the SA Golf Association ratings of 71 from the back tees and 69 from the front make it about 2 or 3 strokes more difficult than average. Don’t let this put you off, however. If you hit the ball straight, you’ll do well and even if you go off line here and there, the rough is very forgiving and is kept well-trimmed.

Form player:

JC Ritchie is coming into this event red hot. He comes to the Cape at the back of not one but two successful title-defences at the team championship a fortnight ago and in Limpopo just this past weekend. Those victories follow sixth-place and seventh-place finishes at the SA Open and Eye of Africa PGA Championship, respectively.

To put things into perspective, Ritchie has not missed a cut since September last year when he did so at the King’s Cup in eSwatini and has not finished outside of the top 10 since this year began. His best finish in the Cape dates back to 2018 when he finished third here and the way he is currently playing, it would not be a surprise to see him in the mix here come the weekend.

Sentimental pick:

A final-round 74 proved to be local man, Jean-Paul Strydom’s undoing last year here after he had played some brilliant golf in the week to get in contention for what would have been his first Sunshine Tour victory.

Strydom enjoys the windy Cape and while he was also runner-up last here, he also boasts a fifth-place finish in this tournament, a feat he achieved back in 2015. While he has not enjoyed a jaw-dropping season in the way of best results, his has been a decent season which included a runners-up finish, a top 15 and a top 25 result. Plus, by his own admission, he tends to play rather well in the windy conditions with which golf in Cape Town is associated.

He has everything it takes to go one better here following last year’s disappointment when Follett-Smith won last season.

Bolter:

Anton Haig has had to wait a long time for his third Sunshine Tour title, having last tasted victory on Tour back in 2007 when he claimed the Johnny Walker Classic which was co-sanctioned with the European Tour, and which is now defunct.

He has enjoyed a decent season so far, sitting 73^rd on the Order of Merit after 17 starts and last week’s seventh-place finish was yet another glimpse into the quality he possesses when he is in a good form. While he is a proven winner, with four titles to his name (Seekers Travel Pro-Am 2005, MTC Namibia PGA Championship 2006, Pulai Springs Malaysian Masters on the Asian Tour in 2006 and that playoff victory over Richard Sterne and Oliver Wilson in the Johnny Walker Classic of 2007) Haig has not enjoyed a lot of success on Tour, and this follows years of absence from the professional golf scenes. Despite all this, however, on a few occasions since he regained his Sunshine Tour playing privileges, he has shown glimpses of the player he was in the mid-2000s and that top 10 finish last week in Limpopo would have reminded him what it felt like being at the top.

A win in Cape Town would not only assure him of his own ability to win but would mark a new chapter for his career overall.

JC Ritchie created more history for himself after he successfully defended his Limpopo Championship title on Sunday, following another title-defence just a week earlier, when he claimed a two-stroke victory over Wilco Nienaber at Euphoria Golf and Lifestyle Estate.

It was something of a déjà vu for Ritchie in that last year he and his playing partner and friend, Jaco Prinsloo, first won the Gauteng Team Championship hosted by Dainfern before he claimed the inaugural Limpopo Championship, a week later. They defended successfully last week and this week, this week he defended his title to make two title-defences in two weeks.

“It’s extremely special to have defended here,” he said after his final round of 67, his second in succession. “You see, there are not many people who can say they have defended a title, so defending two titles in a row is just something that’s crazy special for me.”

To make his defence even more special is the fact that he went around the Euphoria track bogey-free on Saturday and on Sunday.

“I’ve never done that on the weekend,” he says of his blemish-free third and fourth rounds in Modimolle. “To play that kind of good golf on the weekend around here is special because it’s tough here. I watched guys make bogeys from everywhere, which they never do. So, it was ideal for my game plan. Brilliant ball-striking all week long. I have not been this in control of my game for a long time, so I am very happy.”

Despite the gallant efforts by the chasing pack which included the impressive rookie, Wilco Nienaber, the long-hitting Jacques Kruyswijk who used to call this golf club a home while he was younger and was the overnight leader and another local man, Hennie du Plessis, Ritchie showed great composure to claim his second victory in the Limpopo Championship.

A total of 19-under-par 269 earned Ritchie second Limpopo Championship in a row.

A combination of some solid golf and knowledge of the golf course helped Jacques Kruyswijk to a two-stroke lead in the Limpopo Championship following a three-under-par 69 third round, which took his total to 16-under, at Euphoria Golf and Lifestyle Estate.

Kruyswijk grew up in this region of the country and for a number of years, called Euphoria and Koro Creek Bushveld and Golf Estate, his home courses. Coming into the third round co-leading by two shots at 13-under-par, the long-hitting Kruyswijk knew he had it all to do on day three if he was to keep his spot at the top of the leaderboard.

Back-to-back pars on the first two holes settled him down and then a birdie went into his card on the third. From there, Kruyswijk made a birdie on every other hole as he turned in 32 and bogey-free. Scoring proved difficult in round three with the wind, especially on the back nine, gusting all over the place, making it tough for even the very best golfer out there to put together a decent score there.

“It was difficult out there today,” said the 28-year old Kruyswijk who plays out of Centurion Country Club. “The wind picked up quite a lot especially on the back nine. There were a couple of tough flags which made it difficult for scoring. But I just kept a cool head even on the back nine, that wasn’t y best back nine ever but the front nine covered for that.”

He made eight pars and a bogey on that homeward stretch, but he was, overall, pleased with his work up to this point of the competition.

“I’m pleased because of the work I’ve done leading up to this tournament,” he said of his recent resurgence after a disappointing season in Europe. “This is where I should be. I keep on saying this, this is where I should be every single week. I should be contending to win tournaments every week and I’m just excited to tee it up tomorrow and see what happens.”

He will have to be very sharp in the final round because the defending JC Ritchie and Louis de Jager are only two shots off the pace and any slip-ups at any stage of the round might prove costly.

Ritchie’s 67 was the best score of the day while De Jager carded a 71 to total 14-under. The final round of this championship, much like the third, will be streamed live on the Sunshine Tour Facebook and YouTube channels.

It’s an all-South African affair at the top of the leaderboard of the Limpopo Championship with Jacques Kruyswijk and Louis de Jager signing for a 64 each to total 13-under-par after the second round to co-lead by two shots going into the third round at Euphoria Golf and Lifestyle Estate.

Kruyswijk began his round beautifully, birdieing the first two holes. Two pars later, he made two more birdies to turn in 32 and bogey-free. After making four straight pars from the seventh through to the 10^th hole, Kruyswijk made his only bogey of the day, dropping a shot on the par-four 11^th.

That drop was his last because after that he steadied himself nicely, making back-to-back birdies on the 13^th and 14^th holes. He made further gains one hole later, picking up a birdie on the par-three 16^th before closing with an eagle to seal top spot ahead of the weekend.

“It was just a great day,” Kruyswijk said, “so many great feelings around this golf course. This is where I grew up. This is where it all started for me. The putter worked well but I gave myself a lot of chances. Same game plan tomorrow. I’ll go out there and play some aggressive golf because that how I play. I know Euphoria quite well so I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’m where I need to be, I’m leading and that is where I want to be at.”

De Jager had a similar start to his round, making birdies on the first two holes. He had to stay patient before making further gains because his next birdie came on the sixth hole. That was followed by two more on the eighth and ninth holes. After the turn, he picked up another birdie on the 11^th and three pars later, another birdie found its way to his card. Pars on the 16^th and 17^th holes were followed by another birdie on the last hole as he went around Koro Creek without dropping a single shot.

“It was quite tough out here,” said De Jager after his round, “the wind was gusty and blowing in all kinds of directions but I putted well, so I’m really pleased going into the weekend. I’m in a perfect position for the weekend. Euphoria is a strong golf course, you’ve got to hit it well off the tee and you have to hit it straight, but I enjoy the golf course.”

Sitting third and despite dropping a shot on his first hole of the day, rookie Wilco Nienaber showed great resilience to sign for a 68 which took his total for the week to 11-under-par. A shot behind him lies Hennie du Plessis who has been in great form since recovering from a back injury a few months back. He signed for a 69 to total 10-under and coming hot behind him is the defending champion, JC Ritchie, along with overnight leader, Daniel van Tonder. They’re both nine-under-par and four shots behind the leaders.

The final two rounds of the Limpopo Championship will be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube from 13H00 on Saturday and Sunday.